Novel foods

Question 1

Define Novel Food

Answer 1

a non-traditional food that requires an assessment of the public health and safety considerations having regard to:
(a) the potential for adverse effects in humans; or
(b) the composition or structure of the food; or
(c) the process by which the food has been prepared; or
(d) the source from which it is derived; or
(e) patterns and levels of consumption of the food; or
(f) any other relevant matters

Question 2

Categories of novel foods may include, but are not limited to, the following:

Answer 2

• plants or animals and their components
• plant or animal extracts
• herbs, including extracts
• dietary macro-components
• single chemical entities
• microorganism, including probiotics
• foods produced from new sources, or by a process not previously applied to food

Question 3

Define non-traditional food

Answer 3

(a) a food that does not have a history of human consumption in Australia or NZ; or
(b) a substance derived from a food, where that substance does not have history of human consumption in Australia or NZ other than as a component of that food; or
(c) any other substance, where that substance, or the source from which it is derived, does not have a history of human consumption as a food in Australia or NZ

Question 4

Food that pass the assessment to be listed in Schedule 25 of the FSANZ are only approved for retail sale if which specified conditions are complied with?

Answer 4

• the need for preparation or cooking instructions, warning statements or other advice;
• the need to meet specific requirements of composition or purity;
• the class of food within which the food must be sold;
• during the first 15 months after gazettal, the brand under which the food may be sold

Question 5

Which novel foods are currently permitted?

Answer 5

alpha-cyclodextrin
y-cyclodextrin
Diacylglycerol oil
Dried marine micro-algae
oil derived from marine micro-algae
isomalto-oligosaccharide
isomaltulose
phytosterols, phytostanols and their esters
D-Tagatose
Tall oil phytosterol esters
Trehalose

Question 6

What is biotechnology?

Answer 6

is broadly defined as the utilisation of biologically derived molecules, structures, cells or organisms to carry out a specific process

Question 7

Wha are genetically modified organisms?

Answer 7

• gene technology allows direct modification or removal of a gene, or the transfer or a gene from one species to another
• when plants, animals and other organisms are changed using gene technology they are known as genetically modified organisms or GM foods
• Only organisms/foods in which the genetic material has been altered in a way that does not occur naturally by mating and/or natural recombination are called GMOs/GM foods
• Transgenic - term used if the modification includes introduction of a gene from another organism
• common terms used for the technology include ‘modern biotechnology’ or ‘gene technology’, sometimes also ‘recombinant DNA technology’ or ‘genetic engineering’

Question 8

what is Entomophagy?

Answer 8

• refers to consumption of insects as food by humans
• In aus and NS the super mealworm, house crickets and mealworm beetle have been assessed by FSANZ and categorised as not novel, but non-traditional - no saftey concerns for human consumption have been identified

Question 9

the two main organisations in aus responsible for regulation of GM foods?

Answer 9

• the Office of the Gene Technology Regulator
• FSANZ